Several NFL players have been in the news lately for alleged abuse allegations. However, this time an NFL player’s name is being cleared and it’s his accuser who might face jail time. A Seattle woman who lied to police and falsely accused Seattle Seahawks’ running back Marshawn Lynch of assault could spend up to a year in jail for her actions.

On Thursday the Bellevue Police Department recommended criminal charges against Jammie Ficarelli, 31, who told authorities that Lynch, 28, had punched her in the face on Aug. 10. She also claimed her Louis Vuitton purse had been damaged in the alleged attack.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Ficarelli had been drinking excessively at the Blue Martini in downtown Bellevue on Aug. 9, later ending up outside The Bravern apartment complex. She saw a man emerge from a vehicle in the valet area of The Bravern whom she identified as Lynch.

She told investigators she was invited into the man’s apartment for drinks, which later resulted in a confrontation. She claimed she used a racial slur against the man she believed to be Lynch and was assaulted, including being punched in the face.

The two left the apartment, according to Ficarelli’s statement to the BPD, and she chased the man she thought to be Lynch around the complex because of damage caused to her Louis Vuitton purse. The man got away from her, she told police, and she took a taxi home.

The police investigation revealed the man Ficarelli joined for drinks at The Bravern was not Marshawn Lynch, whom investigators confirmed had entered his room at the Hilton Bellevue Hotel, where other Seattle players were staying, around 11 p.m. and never left. Instead, the man was a resident of the complex and a Bravern security guard on duty the night of the incident identified him as a black male, 5-feet-11-inches tall, with a medium build and long, black dreadlocks.

Once Ficarelli began acting erratically, she was asked to leave the premises, and is alleged to have fallen down outside the complex, the right side of her face striking the paved walkway. During her report to police, a detective documented a red mark under her right eye, chipped front tooth, scratch to her right hand and other signs of bruising. However, she alleged that Lynch had struck her in the face. The Bellevue police department came under fire for releasing Lynch’s name before completing their investigation. Now, his name should be cleared.

The city attorney can now make a decision whether to charge Ficarelli for allegedly making the false report. On Aug. 21, the report states Ficarelli refused to answer police questions because she intended to retain an attorney and sue Lynch.

Women who falsely accuse men of physical assault make it difficult for women who have actually been assaulted to come forward and then once they do, for their story to be believed and taken seriously. Ficarelli should learn a lesson the hard way.